Surrogate
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Gizmo was alone, betrayed by that witch. He loathed her for ruining his team, taking away his only friends. Gizmo never realized that an unlikely Titan could change his views. Oneshot.


Teen Titans © DC Comics

Surrogate

Gizmo stood alone in the deserted alleyway, looking up at the darkening skyline. The bright blue was suffering, transforming into a darker version. He never liked the daytime, preferring the limelight of the night, the snaky welcoming of the moon and stars. It reminded him of his workshop in the H.I.V.E F.I.V.E's old hideout. Gizmo streaked his gloved hand through his brown hair, almost surprised that his hair nourishment invention worked. Most of the time these days, his creations would always have some sort of oddity that made them malfunction.

He was alone like usual. Most days he would scrimmage for food, stealing in remote cities where there were no accursed Titans. The eighteen-year-old sighed, leaning against the wall with his controller in hand. His outward appearance hardly changed in four years except for his brown, skater-like hair. He still wore a hooded jumpsuit, but it was a deep gray color like the steel on machines and a looped belt. A cord his belt to his video game controller. All sorts of inventions were clasped to his belt like grapple hooks, stun guns, and even a packet of chewing gum to calm himself. Gizmo's goggles slid perfectly over his sensitive eyes, hiding them from the ferocious sun.

It was days like this that Gizmo wished he was still with the H.I.V.E F.I.V.E. Private Hive left, running off to try and be an apprentice of some old wrinkly dude. What was his name? Oh, General Immortus, and they still ended up frozen, yet they weren't that close. It was as if they were only business partners to squeeze out some extra cash. Kyd Wykkyd, Billy Numerous and SeeMore he considered friends, almost like brothers to him. Naturally, they argued over typical guy stuff like video games, fighting skills, and just insulting each other as a form of bonding. Mammoth and him, they were close even if they did not act it. Both were comrades, and they balanced each other out. The saying "opposites attract" was a suitable phrase for them. Brawn and size for Mammoth, brain and swiftness for Gizmo. Best friends and brothers since the H.I.V.E's first year together, and Mammoth usually comforted or mocked him whenever he got in a fight with Jinx.

Jinx…she was a bad memory. A memory he wanted to throw away like one of his failed blueprints and never see again. Her persistent ghost haunted Gizmo through his slumber, destroying everything he held dear. Every time he thought he heard her cackle, a cold sweat would dampen his brow as he worked on a new project. She was the one that ruined his life, dragged him and his fellow classmates to their supposed icy fate.

Gizmo shook his head, ignoring the memory that haunted him. Glaring up at the sky, he stormed out of the alleyway with his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. He easily blended in with the crowd of bustling citizens. He was currently crashing in Tornado City, a place several miles away from Titans Tower in Jump City. At least he would not see that crud-muncher, heap of scrap metal _Cyborg_ any time soon. Gizmo resided there only to get away from what he used to call home, but he never really had a secured home. The academy and his old base with the H.I.V.E F.I.V.E showed a strong resemblance to a home, but everyone was always moving, especially Billy with his snot-eating clones. However, he always loved a good game of "make a fort with sofa pillows" with him, Kyd and Mammoth.

_Okay, this sludge-brain lives on Thirty-Ninth street, apartment B4, _Gizmo thought, looking around at the street signs. Glancing down at his watch, he sighed quietly. _Time is…six forty, so I'll get there in less than five minutes._

He worked as an arms dealer these days, finding it rather hard to work solo with all those stinking Titans around. One could change into animals, another could use plasma beams from her hands, and a certain somebody that he loathed with a fiery passion could run at the speed of light. As long as there were no interfering Titans, Gizmo's job went smoothly. He would deliver illegal firearms to whoever paid him to steal or build them. Anything and everything, Gizmo would deliver so long as the pay was enough to keep him alive for another week.

Quickly crossing the busy intersection, Gizmo activated his jetpack as a reminiscent of his H.I.V.E days. Shooting through the sky of baffled citizens, Gizmo easily located the street and blasted by the apartment doors. Apartment B4 was at the end of the street on the lower level of the building. Knocking on the door, he waited patiently as a few steps on the inside congregated. Gizmo hesitated, hearing a slightly high and quirky voice call out. It wasn't, however, the voice of his boss which was some high-end crime lord named Mr. Mafia. Stupid name, he knew, but a job was a job.

"Who is it?" the same voice questioned irritably.

"Me, moron," Gizmo snapped, lowering his voice a few octaves to conceal his identity just in case.

"Me who?" the voice demanded, layered with annoyance this time.

Things were already spinning out wrong. Shouldn't his boss know his voice and name? Pray tell he ever was rehired from him. Checking the apartment number, Gizmo blinked at the correct door, knowing he was in the right place. Itching his scalp with aggravation, he punched the door furiously.

"The guy you hired!" Gizmo barked, trying to sound level and failed.

Silence ensued, forcing his ears to strain for whatever voices there were. He could decipher a cocky laugh, a curious rumble and the irritated voice that spoke. A fourth was soft, but arrogant, much like a crafty woman. Gizmo slowly backed away from the door, calling over his shoulder that he'd be back later around eight or so. Once more, there was silence, and anxiety fueled Gizmo as he began to run. The door had opened, but Gizmo was already in the sky flying off in his jetpack, and he wondered if that was a sting operation set up by the city's police. Just perfect, he would have to find a new city to pillage in since he was nearly caught.

Run away and leave everything behind for good, let no one know he existed ever. That was his new motto over the harsh, toiling years that followed him. Stealing, selling, distributing weapons, all for the right price. There was no evidence of Gizmo's involvement ever. He never wanted to end up betrayed again, wishing that witch to disappear even though she used to be like a sister to him.

_Stop it!_ Gizmo screamed at himself mentally. _Quit thinking about that sludge girl! She's eviler than Brother Blood and quicker to leave you in the dust for…him…Kid Flash!_

Kid Flash, he despised Kid Flash. In a sense, he was the one that truly divided up his team. That manipulative speedster stole Jinx' mind and swapped it for some goody-goody girl he never wanted to know. He was just glad that Jinx stayed with them, just for a little while, before her ultimate betrayal. The slice of her bad luck spell cast him and everyone but SeeMore into the realm of unconsciousness. Thankfully, before the operation calculated by the Brain was enacted, Gizmo gave everyone a sort of transportation belt for a getaway. The only one not captured was SeeMore due to his hiding behind the machine Mas y Menos used to freeze everyone, and he activated their belts with his, rescuing his friends and brothers after every single, stinking Titan was gone.

After Jinx' betrayal, her words finally sank in about them being a disorganized bunch of slackers. SeeMore, who revealed to have an actual crush on Jinx, decided to give up villainy and went to school with some blonde woman Beast Boy apparently knew. Sometimes he would give them messages, but after telling them he remained friends with the traitor, Gizmo cut him off forever. Kyd, even with his teleportation skills, was caught in one of their raids and sent to prison for a long time. Billy went back to his homeland of Kentucky and caused mischief to his heart's content. That is, until he was finally caught by the Titans and thrown into the same jail as Kyd. Nobody heard from them again. Two years ago, Mammoth decided to retire which shocked Gizmo greatly and was going to venture to a Chinese monastery.

"You're leaving me too?" Gizmo screamed as Mammoth packed up his belongings from their hideout.

"I-I just think that this isn't the right place for me, now that everybody…" Mammoth trailed off, clutching his suitcases. He had never seen Gizmo so hurt, so much in pain. "You can come along if you like. It might be fun, Gizmo."

Gizmo remembered staring at his oafish companion in shock before clenching his tiny fists, shouting, "Fine! You leave too, Mammoth, ya snot-picker! I don't need anybody!" He bolted off into a run as Mammoth called after him, and that day was where everything went downhill in his new life.

Gizmo's mind wracked at the memory, actually stopping his jetpack shortly and hovered there. Technically, he abandoned Mammoth by running away and claiming that he would be better off alone. Gizmo sighed, staring over his shoulder at the apartment. Something fishy was going on in there, and he decided to bail like how he fled from Mammoth. Landing on the roof of a nearby apartment complex, Gizmo sat with his legs leaning off the side. His stomach suddenly rumbled, making him flush and desperately tried to cover up in case anyone was listening. Two years of grating solitude made him paranoid like someone was always watching over his shoulder. At that thought, Gizmo looked over his shoulder to find a person standing behind him.

The man was two years older with gray blue skin in samurai armor and some sort of matching helmet. His muscular frame could easily be compared to Mammoth, but his welcoming smile differed from his former friend's confident sneer. His shoulder-length messy hair was ebony that matched his sideburns and rugged mess of hair surrounding his chin.

"Hello there," he greeted as Gizmo gawked at him. "Mind if I ask why you were at a criminal's home?"

"H-how'd you sneak up on me?" Gizmo cried, shutting his slacking jaw.

The twenty-year-old pointed over his shoulder to one of the brightest clouds Gizmo ever saw that simply hovered in the air a few feet away. It was a cumulus cloud, large in stature to support the man's strong form. Almost admiring it, Gizmo quickly regained composure and hopped to his feet. Activating his jetpack, he squeaked in surprise as the man snatched his treasured jetpack and kept him in place.

"No stinkin' way! Lemme go ya blueberry!" Gizmo shouted.

"Blueberry?" His voice crackled with anger momentarily before sighing. "What's your name?"

"What's your's?" Gizmo spat back. "S'not nice to just come up, grab me and bark at me for my name."

"I am Thunder, and your name is?" the man asked, smiling slightly.

"Gizmo."

Placing Gizmo down next to him, Thunder towered over him. Gulping at the height difference, he secretly wished to have boots that made him appear somewhat intimidating. It was like standing next to Mammoth all over again. Crossing his arms and glancing away, Gizmo chewed the corners of lips and desperately wished for this "Thunder" to leave.

"So, may I ask why you ventured to that crime lord's home?" Thunder questioned, speaking as though Gizmo was a child.

"Feh! None of your business, blueberry," Gizmo hissed. "Why do you even care anyway? Shouldn't you go ride that stupid cloud of your's and rescue a cat from a tree?"

"Actually, my brother did that last weekend."

His frankness was almost refreshing. Billy tended to relive some actions of his past and ever so bluntly state them to his clones while they'd jeer and urge for more stories. In the past, Gizmo would usually just sit there as Billy yakked in his Southern accent and yawn, knowing most of the stories were fabricated, but the way he explained them was more so how Thunder spoke.

"J-just why aren't you takin' me in already, ya zit?" Gizmo asked. "Keep talking to me and I'll blow your brains out!'

"With your machines? You can't," Thunder replied, crossing his arms.

Gizmo blinked curiously, immediately trying his jetpack. It wasn't operating, and panic swept through his body. Something was jamming his system, and he reached for his controller to find it missing. Eyes widening fearfully, Gizmo glared up to Thunder who dangled his controller in the air. A spark of blue coated the controller before traveling down to his belt. Zaps sparked in the air, and all at once, everything on his belt-save his gum-shut down.

"My tech!" Gizmo shrieked, desperately clawing at his controller. "You shorted out my system!"

"There's a reason as to why I am called Thunder, and that's why," Thunder snickered, patting Gizmo's head. "I just wish to speak one on one with you, Gizmo."

The request made Gizmo cock his head in mild surprise. "Why'd you wanna do that? I don't even know you."

"I was there when the Brotherhood of Evil enacted their plan on freezing the Teen Titans. I was one captured along with my brother Lightning. I saw what Jinx did to you." Thunder lowered his eyes at him, a somber glaze coming to them. "I'm sorry for her actions."

Gizmo blinked, not comprehending at first. Even though he was a genius, the information rushed through his ears before finally connecting with his brain. At first, there was horror that he was communicating with a brain-dead Titan, but one that actually apologized for the witch's actions. The coup de grace of the Titans was four years ago, and Gizmo remembered the event clearly from Brain's speech, to capturing Kole and Gnaark with Billy, to Jinx' betrayal, and his frozen stupor. Anger beseeched his whims, and he balled his tiny fists up, glaring at his feet. Feeling Thunder rustle his hair again, he slapped the blue elementalist's arm away furiously.

"_You're_ sorry! Why isn't that witch apologizing for herself, huh? Why she gotta make you do it for her?" Gizmo cried, losing his composure.

"She doesn't know you are here," Thunder replied.

"Oh, you felt sorry for me then! Well, that's just stinkin' wonderful! Well, guess what? Tell Jinx that I don't give a zit popping anymore! She ruined my life!"

Thunder cringed at Gizmo's harshness and lack of moderate politeness. Years of harboring hatred hardened his exterior, concealing his soul. Thunder shook his head sadly, closing his eyes softly as Gizmo panted in outrage. Gizmo suffered because of Jinx, but perhaps his soul could still be saved.

"Tell me, what were your feelings to her?" Thunder asked gently.

"My wha-? Feelings?" Gizmo crossed his arms, finding him to trail along the dangerous road of his past. Speaking back cautiously, he sneered arrogantly. "That wench doesn't even have a heart. Lookit her, switching sides. I wouldn't be surprised if she finally came back to me, and when she finds out we disbanded, she'll be crushed."

"Oh, right, you and Jinx were H.I.V.E. classmates."

"Friends! We were friends, and she was like my sister."

The words slipped out before he could stop his tongue. Covering his mouth, Gizmo quickly retreated from Thunder with clenched eyes. Thunder placed a hand over his shoulder, urging him to turn around mentally. Sniffling, Gizmo faced the Titan, trembling at his words.

"You were close," Thunder stated.

"Jinx, Mammoth, Billy, Kyd, SeeMore and I…we were a family. A family of outcasts, rejects, and the city's scum, but we stuck together like glue. We stuck together because we had no stinkin' blood family to love us. Sure, we had fights, but every family does." Gizmo looked up to Thunder, ignoring the strained emotion on his face. "We were a surrogate family because we had no one else. Mammoth, Jinx and I were put together on a team because of our attributes, and then came the others, and we formed our own group from remnants of the H.I.V.E: The H.I.V.E F.I.V.E. We were doing great, then that scum-sucking, crud-munching, jerk Kid Flash came and wrecked everything!"

Thunder's eyebrows shot up, surprised at the name. He and Lightning were assigned to a Teen Titans' squad with Jinx and Kid Flash: Titans South. In a way, they were like Gizmo's explanation. Lightning and Kid Flash argued several times a day, but a mouthful of pizza instantly silenced them. Thunder and Jinx oversaw them, usually joking about them as they bickered. They worked in unison, fought crime, and saved the day whereas Gizmo's family did everything the same except they stirred up crime and ruined the day. Jinx never delved in on her past, in fact, she hardly mentioned Gizmo or the H.I.V.E. Whenever Lightning would probe her on the school, she simply would insult him and leave. The brothers found that odd, asking Kid Flash about her while he just replied that Jinx choose the right path.

"It was the better choice," Kid Flash had said. "I mean, I didn't want her to suffocate in her own pain. Besides, those H.I.V.E guys never appreciated her talents, taking her for granted. I didn't want her to be used."

"Are you so certain that Jinx requested to leave?" Lightning asked like he was interrogating a villain.

"She was following in the footsteps of Madame Rouge. Jinx would've been miserable," he responded. "Unless, Lightning you want to be Madame Rouge, right? I think you wrote in your diary."

"I never wrote anything of the sort!" Their two: thirty brawl began as Thunder comically sweat dropped.

"So, you know Jinx?" Gizmo asked, staring out into the sunset as the pink and orange hues reflected in the sky, covering the blue.

"Yes, we are on the same team," Thunder informed.

Gizmo cringed inwardly, folding his arms gruffly and snorted. Thunder sat down on his knees, gesturing for Gizmo to copy him. Hesitating, he eventually succumbed because he already knew Thunder was going to haul him to jail. Villains and heroes never associated together, but an exception was made as Gizmo hunched over next to him. The other exception was Jinx and Kid Flash.

"You're on the same team together, you're apart of that witch's new family," Gizmo muttered.

"People can have more than one family," Thunder explained. "I have my brother and mother who are my blood relatives while the Titans are like what you said: my surrogate family."

"But you ain't a reject! I am! My mom was killed and my dad went…somewhere, but I never heard from him, and he was the one that sent me to the best school: The H.I.V.E. I met Mammoth and Jinx, and they were my friends. At first, we hated each other since they'd tease me on my height while Mammoth had bricks for brains, and Jinx was…well, a witch." Gizmo crossed his arms, an noticeable vein in his forehead. "Then that rust bucket _Cybooger_ flaunts in and wrecks the school. Gah, I hate him almost as much as Kid Flash!"

Thunder chuckled at his cruel nickname, looking up to the receding skyline. Glancing over his shoulder, he gasped as a sudden hissing sound filtered their ears. Gizmo blinked at the noise, finding a thin, yellow man with similar samurai armor and a headband with side plates that covered his cheeks. Like Thunder, this one had control over electricity, making Gizmo deduce that this newcomer was his brother Lightning who landed after transmuting his lower electrical body into legs.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Lightning asked, stretching his legs. "You located the dealer, but why are you speaking so casually with him?"

"Oh, this is Gizmo, one of Jinx' old friends," Thunder explained cheerfully.

"Shut up! Nobody's supposed to know I'm here, barf brain!" Gizmo snapped.

"You dare insult my brother?" Lightning growled, charging up his hands with his element crawling down his arms.

"Hold your energy!" Thunder commanded, getting to his feet as Gizmo quietly slid behind him. "We were simply talking, but we are almost finished up. Right, Gizmo?"

"You're taking me to jail, I know that," Gizmo mumbled. "Crammit. I tried, I really did. Maybe I shoulda went with Mammoth to that stupid monastery in China."

"Not yet we aren't," Lightning replied, lowering down his arms. "I'll tell Flash and Jinx that I could not find you. I'll return in a few minutes, brother, and so finish up whatever you are speaking about."

Nodding gratefully, Thunder waved his dear brother off as Lightning transformed his lower half into electricity, taking to the skies. Gizmo, awed at the performance, shook his head and regained his arrogance.

"Huh, so he's nothin' but a walking electricity rod. Lame," Gizmo sneered before Thunder whacked him over the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"If I insulted one of your friends, wouldn't you get offended?" Thunder asked.

"Well, most of the insults I delivered at them like Kyd being a gothic weirdo, but I would, probably," he admitted with a lackadaisically shrug. "You know, you're kinda easy to talk to." Quickly rechecking his words, he jabbed an angry finger at him, adding, "D-don't wrap that around your stinkin', no-nothin' brain though! You ain't dragging me to jail…like Billy and Kyd."

"I've just come up with an idea." Thunder once again sat at the edge, sitting on his legs poignantly. "I'll listen to whatever you want to get off your chest and remain silent until you want me to speak."

"Huh?" Gizmo blinked, scratching his scalp nervously. "This is one of those sting missions, ain't it? I ain't fallin' for it ya big blueberry!" Crossing his arms, he waited for Thunder to strike, but was almost surprised when he didn't. Sitting next to him uncertainly, he inched himself a good distance so that he was arm's length away in case he needed to escape somehow. Without his jetpack and technology, Gizmo was a sitting duck, ready to be shot at by poachers.

Something in Thunder's eyes coaxed him to relax. The deep black orbs were inquisitive, thoughtful almost, and for a Titan, he was…adequate. Gizmo stared out into the horizon, taking in a gasp before narrowing his hardened eyes to the streets below. The citizens appeared like insects, ready to be stomped on and crushed. All them were moving, sauntering along like an amusing game of order. Gizmo licked his lips, feeling suddenly parched as Thunder intently gazed at him.

"You waiting for my sob story? Fine, I'll tell ya how everything went down. Jinx was like my sister, taking care of me whenever I was sick and stuff. She was like the big sister I never had, being an only son sort of stink. Crud, then the H.I.V.E is destroyed from those cruddy Titans led by _Cybooger_ who had a little crush on Jinx and vice versa. Woulda been precious, not! Anyway, it's me, Jinx, Mammoth, and our classmates SeeMore and Private Hive, and we formed the H.I.V.E F.I.V.E to show our old school some respect, and we got close. Family ties even, but then Private Hive left and we got Billy Numerous and Kyd Wykkyd, and we got stronger as a family. We were rejects…losers…" Gizmo trailed off, gripping the sides of the building in misery. His shoulders shook slightly as he hiccupped, shaking his head and regained composure. "N-nothing coulda took us down, and Jinx was still my sister. Then _he _came: Kid Stinkin' Flash. He warped Jinx into some girl that I can't even look at. She was mean before, and now she's the freaking epitome of traitor! She changed because of him!" Gizmo shook violently, clenching his eyes shut and felt tears prick at his eyelids. Forcing himself to remain strong proved to be a much harder challenge than it seemed, but Gizmo answered the call and fought against his emotions. Any sort of feelings were weak in the eyes of villainy, but deception and malice would be acceptable. "J-Jinx actually a-attacked us…She hit u-us worse than whenever she tried to maim us for going into her room. It's Kid Flash's fault! If he never came in to our lives, the H.I.V.E F.I.V.E would still be a family!"

Thunder's mouth was a tiny gape as Gizmo confessed, pouring his heart out with such raw emotion that Thunder wanted to simply embrace the genius. Gizmo's body wracked with fury, misery, and strife like an aura surrounding them both. Placing his hand onto Gizmo seemed to shock him, tensing his body up like crumpled paper. Gizmo eyes shot open, the waterworks breaking apart in his eyes as Thunder dragged him close, embracing him tightly. Silently gasping, Gizmo motionlessly hovered in the elementalist's arms and listened quietly as Thunder spoke.

"You rose above the pain, suffering through years of abhorring Jinx, but like you, I am a member of her family. A surrogate family since she once told me in private that she always felt whole whenever she was with you and the others in the H.I.V.E because you accepted her without a care. Jinx loved you, Gizmo like her brother, and she loved the others just the same. Even though the years have past, Jinx never lost that love."

His words struck a cord on Gizmo's out-of-tune heartstrings. Jinx loved him too? Could they still be a family? Gizmo lowered his head so that his chin rested on Thunder's broad shoulder. The realization impacted him deeper than any wound he received from the Headmistress whenever he tried to switch his grade at the academy. Gizmo's eyes watered again, but this time he did not stop to conceal them or fight. Shoulders heaving, Gizmo suddenly wailed and burst into uncontrollable spasms, crying on Thunder's shoulders.

She cared for him! Jinx did love the H.I.V.E boys after all. The past four years taught him that Jinx saw no value in him, throwing him away like a worthless doll or one of her stuffed unicorns. Logic he believed in proved worthless now as Thunder's words dawned a new light into his enormous cranium. The hate slowly dissolved, replaced with comfort and unity as his mind wrapped around the revelation.

Pulling away from Thunder, Gizmo wiped his eyes with the backside of his sleeve. Sniffing up snot, he muttered, "Um…thanks. Sorry for getting your shoulder all wet."

"It's fine, but are you feeling better?" Thunder asked, grinning.

"…Yeah, yeah, I am. Still wish Jinx told me this herself, but…" He shrugged, pointing to his jetpack. "Think you can give me a charge?"

Thunder nodded, his hand glowing with sonic waves. It traveled along his devices, amping them up with enough power to last him through the next six months. Illuminated at the power, Gizmo activated his jetpack and flew through the air with a grin. Thunder stood up, calling his cloud over and stepping on.

"Where will you go now?" he asked, riding up to Gizmo.

"I think I'll visit an old friend of mine in China," Gizmo replied thoughtfully. "Oh, and tell Jinx I forgive her, okay blue-I mean, Thunder."

"I will, take care of yourself." Thunder waved Gizmo off, watching as the young genius took to the skies in his jetpack. A sense of accomplishment overcame him, and he sighed as the sun nearly reached the Earth's surface.

"Thunder, did you finish up with that boy already?" Lightning asked, landing next to him. "Flash and Jinx are waiting for us."

Nodding with a smile, Thunder took to the skies with his brother right behind him. Gizmo was but a speck in the orange-red sky, but he could distinctively make out the outline of an arm waving. Returning the gesture, Thunder chuckled quietly to himself as Lightning stared at him in confusion. Deciding to interrogate his twin later, Lightning rolled his eyes and followed his brother.

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The beginning was great, and the end was trailing. Please review.


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